Attachment for vacuum cleaners



April 6, 1954 V. S C H AEF E R ATTACHMENT FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Filed June 24. 1949 w M .T A mm, 8V m v C 5 @m m Y B Patented Apr. 6, 1954 UNITED STATES ATZZNT OFFICE ATTACHMENT FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Valentine Schaefer, Dover, N. J. Application June 24, 1949, Serial No. 101,210

(Cl.l 255) 4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in drain cleaning devices and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a drain cleaner that is so constructed as to facilitate the same to be utilized with a vacuum cleaner.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a drain cleaning attachment for the blower hose of a vacuum cleaner for cleaning all kinds of pipes with air, namely, drains which clog up very often.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a drain cleaner including a member that is extended into a drain and a sealing disk carried by the member for closing the opening to the drain so that an air pressure can be impelled through the member for cleaning the drain in a convenient manner.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a drain cleaning attachment for the blower end of a vacuum cleaner that is simple and practical in construction, small and compact in structure, neat and attractive in appearance, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the present invention applied to a drain depending from a sink;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the present drain cleaner applied to one end of a vacuum hose;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the conduit that is used when the drain pipes are clogged to a considerable degree;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the present drain cleaner and with the conduit applied to the nipple of the socket member; and

Figure 5 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the spray head that is used in conjunction with the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail,

wherein, for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral It] represents a substantially frusto-conical socket member having a nipple l2 integrally formed with its minor end. A retainer ring purposes for which I4 embraces and is suitably secured to the outer periphery of the member is and bears against the convexed face of a concavoconvex sealing disk It that is carried by the nipple l2 and the minor end of the socket member I0.

In practical use of the present invention, one end l8 of a hose 20 is fitted in the socket memher in and the other end of the hose 20 is applied to the blower end of a suitable vacuum cleaner 22.

The tapered nipple I 2 is then placed within the drain or inlet end of the pipe 24 and the resilient sealing disk I6 is pressed against the bottom wall 26 or the sink 28. By then starting the vacuum cleaner 22, air will be blown or di rected through the hose 20 and into the drain 24.

Should the above construction fail to properly clean the drain,-it will be necessary to employ an adapter 39 as shown best in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings. The adapter 30 includes an elongated flexible tube or conduit 32 havinga stop ring or flange 34 at its rear end.

The forward end of the conduit 32 receives the externally groovedshank portion 36 of a spray head 38. A retaining band or ring 40 embracing the outer periphery of the conduit 32 forces a portion of the conduit 32 into the external groove or grooves in the shank portion 36. The spray head 38 is provided with a longitudinally extending blind bore 42 whose forward end communicates with a group of circumferentially spaced forwardly and outwardly inclined delivery passages 4 formed in the spray head 38.

A resilient, preferably sponge rubber, sealing disk 46 is slidably received on the conduit 32 and due to its resilient characteristics is yieldingly retained upon the conduit 32.

In practical use of the adapter 30 and when the socket member ID and nipple I2 are insuificient to properly clean a clogged drain, the conduit 32 is slipped into the nipple l2 so that the stop 34 bears against the inner face of the nipple l2. The sealing disk 46 is placed at a selected point on the conduit 32 and the spray head 38 is then inserted into the drain pipe with the sealing disk 4% bearing against the bottom Wall of the sink or the wall supporting the drain pipe. The vacuum cleaner is then started and the conduit 32 is raised very slowly to loosen and blow the sludge downward because the nozzle holes or delivery passages 44 incline downwardly and forwardly.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the claimed as new is:

1. In combination with a vacuum cleaner having a hose attached to the blower side of the vacuum cleaner, of a drain cleaner comprising a socket member mounted on the hose and having a nipple at one end, a flexible conduit slidably carried by and movable into and out of the nipple, and a sealing disk mounted on the conduit and a spray head detachably secured to the conduit, said head having a longitudinally extending blind bore therein and a group of delivery passages provided in said spray head and inclining outwardly from the blind bore.

2. An attachment for vacuum cleaners comprising a socket member having an end wall provided with a central aperture, said member including an inner wall tapering toward said end wall to permit the end of a vacuum cleaner hose to be frictionally engaged within said socket member, a resilient tube received in said aperture and having a flange at one end positioned in the socket member and engaging said end wall, a spray nozzle removably secured to the other end of said tube, and a centrally apertured sealing disk irictionally retained on said tube and adapted to seal a drain opening into which the nozzle and tube are inserted.

3. An attachment for vacuum cleaners com-- prising a socket member having an end wall provided with a central aperture, said member including an inner wall tapering toward said end wall to permit the end of a vacuum cleaner hose to be frictionally engaged within said socket member, a resilient tube received in said aperture and having a flange at one end positioned in the socket member and engaging said end wall, a spray nozzle having a reduced cylindrical shank received in the other end of said tube, said shank having a peripheral groove, a holding ring eminvention, what is bracing the end of said tube in which said shank is received and forcing a portion of the tube into the groove, and a rubber disk having a central opening yieldingly receiving the tube.

1. An attachment for vacuum cleaners comprising a socket member having an end wall provided with a central aperture, said member including an inner wall tapering toward said end wall to permit the end of a vacuum cleaner hose to be frictionally engaged within said socket member, a resilient tube received in said aperture and having a flange at one end positioned in the socket member and engaging said end wall, a spray nozzle removably secured to the other end of said tube, and a centrally apertured sealing disk frictionally retained on said tube and adapted to seal a drain opening into which the nozzle and tube are inserted, said nozzle including a central blind bore and a plurality of inclined discharge ports extending from the bore.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 303,858 Kelsey Aug. 19, 1884 646,668 Noppel Apr. 3, 1900 734,632 Doyle July 28, 1903 924,368 Nelson June 8, 1909 938,495 Lunstrum Nov. 2, 1909 964,575 Sommerville July 19, 1910 1,022,974 Sargeant Apr. 9, 1912 1,492,732 Knopf May 6, 1924 1,632,515 Smith June 14, 1927 1,703,551 Singer Feb. 26, 1929 1,842,276 Leone Jan. 19, 1932 1,893,498 Herzog Jan. 10, 1933 1,937,172 Starner et a1 Nov. 28, 1933 2,027,661 Woodward Jan. 1 1, 1936 2,055,301 Perry Sept. 29, 1935 2,140,187 Kantor Dec. 13, 1938 2,187,043 MaoMillan Jan. 16, 1920 2,267,064 Wikelund Dec. 23, 1941 2,311,197 Ahern Feb. 16, 1943 2,490,422 Denison Dec. 6, 19 19 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 5,695 Great Britain of 1908 

